


Honestly, Shenanigans

by itsmoonpeaches



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alcohol, Drinking, Ember Island (Avatar), F/M, Fire Nation (Avatar), Friendship, Gen, Girls' Night Out, Humor, POV Sokka (Avatar), POV Suki (Avatar), Post-100 Year War (Avatar TV), Unwanted sexual advances from strangers, boys' night out
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:09:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28079709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itsmoonpeaches/pseuds/itsmoonpeaches
Summary: “I don’t know, Sokka,” Suki stated, biting her bottom lip. “This seems a little…convoluted.”“Oh, c’mon! Don’t you see the potential?” Sokka begged. He was practically on his knees. He would do anything for this. He could not let this opportunity pass them by, especially if his sister and Aang were involved.-Or, Sokka and Suki decide to plan a surprise engagement party for Katara and Aang. It goes about as well as you think.
Relationships: Aang & Sokka (Avatar), Aang & Toph Beifong & Katara & Sokka & Suki & Zuko, Aang/Katara (Avatar), Katara & Sokka (Avatar), Katara & Suki (Avatar), Sokka/Suki (Avatar)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 37
Collections: ATLA Winter Solstice 2020





	1. Boys' Night

**Author's Note:**

  * For [creampuffqueen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/creampuffqueen/gifts).



> This was a wild ride from start to finish. Hope you like it!

“I don’t know, Sokka,” Suki stated, biting her bottom lip. “This seems a little…convoluted.”

“Oh, c’mon! Don’t you see the potential?” Sokka begged. He was practically on his knees. He would do anything for this. He could not let this opportunity pass them by, especially if his sister and Aang were involved. There was so much to be done, so much to do!

“I think it’s sweet,” she insisted, “but getting _Zuko_ to stay behind for _that?”_

“That’s why Iroh is going to be with him!” added Sokka with a wide grin. He tried to ignore the massive sigh that his wife let out, heaving the breath she was keeping in her chest.

So, his plan was a little…questionable, but it was the most fun way to surprise Aang and Katara with an engagement party. Sure, he and Suki had only been married for about a year, but his little sister and best friend were now up next. He and the others could not help but say, “It’s about time!” when the two of them announced it to them a few weeks ago.

However, that was during the incredibly important reformation summit in Ba Sing Se. After eleven years since the end of the Hundred Year War, Earth King Kuei had finally decided he needed to formally restructure the arrangement of the Dai Li. They had been following his and his council’s orders for years, but there were still rules and regulations that needed to be put into place so that figures like Long Feng did not reappear.

Zuko and the Fire Nation had not been present during those long weeks. It would have been a bit controversial to have the leader of the nation that had a hand in the corruption of the Dai Li during the Fall of Ba Sing Se be a guest. That, and Zuko had his own national problems to worry about. What, with his rabblerousing noble houses.

Aang had attended, of course because he was the Avatar. Sokka, Katara, and Toph were specifically requested because they were the ones to discover just how deep-seated the corruption was during the war. Suki insisted she come along, and though she would have to leave the Kyoshi Warriors to train the chi-blocking police force in the expanding Republic City, she was confident that Ty Lee was much more skilled in that department.

The meetings were boring, as per usual. Though when Aang and Katara had burst in during their very few breaks at the Jasmine Dragon with the news of their engagement, that was their one bright spot. Unfortunately, none of them had time for celebration when there were documents to go over and agreements to disagree on.

Iroh had apparently told Zuko, because just days before the summit was over, Sokka received a missive tied to the leg of a hawk:

_Sokka,_

_I know they have been busy. It has been hard to keep in touch with Aang and Katara. Tell them to take a vacation in my house on Ember Island for a few days. It’s my congratulations to them._

_—Zuko_

From that moment, Sokka hatched his wonderful, perfect plan. It took a lot of finagling and guilt-tripping on his part to convince his sister and Aang to not return to their apartment in Republic City right after their stint in Ba Sing Se. He was about to wring Aang’s neck when he said that Katara wanted to help at the waterbending school there, and he swore he would call upon the spirits themselves for an intervention if he had to hear Katara say that Aang had acolyte students he needed to teach one more time.

In the end, it was Suki who picked up on his frustration. He marveled at what a wonderful woman she was. “You two just got engaged,” she had said in that easy way of hers, “and this whole thing was so long. Just take some time to rest up. We’ll come with you if you want.”

His original plan had been to show up by surprise on the island, but somehow this worked out better. Suki was a genius, and she was perfect in every way. Even though Sokka knew his wife was the most talented person on the planet, he had to insist that his plan was almost as flawless as she was.

“Someone has to stay behind with baby Izumi!” exclaimed Sokka, pouting.

Suki giggled and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Right,” she said, “and while I agree with you, are you _sure_ that leaving Zuko to be in charge of decorations while the rest of us have a night out in the town is the best idea?”

“Aang and Katara don’t know that he and Iroh are coming,” said Sokka.

“They don’t know that Mai, Izumi, Toph, Ty Lee, and your dad are coming either.”

“Well, Katara will know that the girls are here when you guys meet up with them.”

Suki sighed. He could see that she had finally given in. “Oh alright,” she acquiesced. “We’ll do this your way. Let’s just make sure those two have the best night out they could ask for.”

He beamed. “When you say it like that…”

She slapped the back of his shoulder. “Oh, just get a move on, Sokka!”

He did, in fact, get a move on. He dragged Aang by the arm through Zuko’s family compound, screaming something incoherent about a boys’ night out. He could tell that Aang did not quite appreciate it. The poor kid was tripping over his ankles after all.

Aang had slept across the hall from his and Suki’s room while Katara— _appropriately_ —had her own quarters. He would not think about the fact that Aang and Katara technically shared their own apartment when they were not around them, but that was another older brother problem for another day.

The fact that Aang was so easily accessible to him made it simpler to elect to kidnap him. Of course, both Aang and Katara had been told separately that they would be having their own nights out earlier that evening by Suki. (“It’s like an outing where the married couple teaches the engaged couple how to be married!”) Admittedly, it sounded a lot more endearing when it was not coming from Sokka.

They had decided on coming up with plans for the two of them as a surprise, a way to bond, an evening of complete and utter shenanigans, if you will.

Sokka, being his brilliant self, whipped out a pair of paper tickets to present to Aang as they stood at the doors to their rooms.

“Get changed into something nice,” he ordered. “Something that you can disguise yourself in. You know…to hide your…Avatarness.”

He did not give Aang much of a choice because in minutes, Sokka was shoving an airbender-colored button up in his face with a ludicrous pointed hat akin to a rice farmer’s on a flooded field in the middle of a typhoon. Sokka slipped on an unassuming set of clothing that remained his signature blue. Not that it mattered where they were going. There were going to be so many role-playing audience members that the duo would simply look like cheap imitations of themselves. That was an odd thought.

That brought them to the front door. Suki and Katara were laughing at them, and Aang was flushed dragon fruit red from his head to his toes.

“Aw, you look cute, Aang,” giggled Katara as she pecked him on the cheek. “You remind me of the time you tried to disguise yourself when we were going to find Jeong Jeong.”

“That isn’t a _good thing,”_ sputtered Aang, and Katara only chuckled harder.

Sokka patted him on the back. He could feel the humid air of Ember Island settling into the wrinkles of his clothes already. He could not wait to step inside again. He was never quite a fan of the Fire Nation climate. Though, it made him wonder how Zuko had been able to stand the amount of layered clothing he seemed to don on a daily basis.

The sun was setting, and the sky was turning a pleasant pinkish purple that Sokka would have admired if he were mushy like that. But he was not, and he was in a hurry to see the greatest show in the world in order to distract his friend. He walked with a purpose, kicking up the sand on the beach without much thought. He assumed that Aang would catch up. He did.

“Uh,” began Aang, stumbling after him, “I know that we agreed to have a night out just us, but where exactly are we going?”

Alright, fair. Sokka failed to mention what they were doing, but he was sure that Aang would love it.

“We’re going to see _The Boy in the Iceberg: The Avatar Returns,”_ said Sokka with an enthusiastic spring to his step. “They revised it recently, and I keep hearing all these glowing reviews, so it must be ten times better than the play we saw when we were kids.”

There was silence for a while, and he spent the comfortable walk staring at the path the two of them were to follow into town. He could see the top of the theater building rising past the palm trees already. The anticipation was building and Sokka was committed to have a good time.

“I don’t know about this,” winced Aang. They were walking up the steps of the playhouse now, the wood creaking under each step. “What if people recognize us?”

“We’re wearing disguises,” maintained Sokka. “Anyway, they’ll just think your arrow is on the wrong side or something.”

Aang was confused when he answered. “Why would it be on the wrong side?” he gaped. “Is it supposed to be on the back of my head?”

When he and Aang passed will call and fell into line, the clerk did not look twice at their faces as she tore the corner of their tickets.

“See?” whispered Sokka from the corner of his lips. “Easy as fire flakes.” He smirked. “Speaking of fire flakes, let’s get some!”

Sokka treated Aang to an unnecessary half pound of fire flakes and snatched them two flasks of fire whiskey, to which Aang was less than welcoming.

“I don’t drink, Sokka,” frowned Aang. He still held onto the other flask in one hand, seeing as the liquid gold contents were threatening to spill onto the fancy scarlet carpet.

“Don’t be so un-King Bumi-like,” said Sokka. He plopped down on their balcony box seats. Just two of them away from the rest of the crowd. He would not settle for the nosebleed section like before, but neither of them could risk being observed too closely in the mezzanine or the orchestra sections.

Sokka took a handful of flakes, savoring the spicy fire that exploded on his tastebuds. He handed some to Aang who smiled and indulged. Sokka sipped on his fire whiskey, and a warmth slithered down his throat into his stomach.

The play started out accurately enough, and Sokka admitted that he was having such a good time finally watching a rendition of their wartime lives without the urge to pluck his eyes out. Aang was not played by a woman, which he was very pleased about. The actor that played Sokka delivered punchline after punchline, and the actress who played Katara was not the busty monstrosity that he had remembered from before.

They laughed when there was an embarrassing reenactment of the three of them sliding down the mail chutes of Omashu and destroying half the marketplace, but there was no real harm in that. The man who screamed, “My cabbages!” was so on point that Sokka was tempted to clean his ears and rub his eyes because he _had_ to be the real deal.

Sure, neither of them loved seeing the Fall of Ba Sing Se on stage again, and apparently neither did the crowd. It was a sore spot, especially years later in the Fire Nation. They had grown to love their Fire Lord.

“I’m gonna get another two fire whiskies,” said Sokka, wobbling. He had downed both.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” worried Aang.

“Yeah, sure,” responded Sokka. He reached the exit of their private seating area. “I’ll be back in a few.”

He was back just as the curtain rose for act two. As soon as he sat down, he wished that he had drank more.

He took one look at Aang who had to cover his eyes when Actress Katara asked Actor Aang to take off his clothes on the set of a Fire Navy ship. There were a few gasps from the audience, and Sokka could not bear to look. When he saw Aang’s face contort into something that looked sick, he handed his friend a flask.

Aang did not hesitate when he knocked the whole thing back.

Sokka ordered another four, and they were coasting through the rest of a very adult-themed, and overly romantic play of their lives on the saving grace of liquid courage and the potential to forget that they sat through it in the first place.

The two of them hooked arms, walking in step with each other on the boardwalk back to Zuko’s place, laughing, flushed, and utterly decimated beyond repair.

“You didn’t really do that in your tent with Suki, did you?” laughed Aang as they neared the house.

Sokka did not bother to mention that that part was accurate, but he did not need to know that. “No way!” he exclaimed. “You didn’t get all handsy with my sister on the submarine, did you?”

“I was _twelve!”_

Sokka rested his hand on the doorknob, head fuzzy with muddled thoughts of Suki with a crown of flowers. He cracked open the door just in time to witness his sister attacking Zuko. Toph was guffawing in a corner, Mai looked bored, and Suki and Ty Lee were trying to hold Katara back.

“How drunk _are_ we Sokka?” asked Aang, voice higher pitched than normal.

Sokka did not know, and he was not willing to look Suki in the eyes when he saw how horrible the decorations were.

He hoped, at least, that the girls’ night out went well.


	2. Girls' Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was not going fine.
> 
> Suki loved her husband and all, but she should have known better than to give in to his crazy planning. Especially when a surprise was involved. He tended to go one of two routes: overboard or just enough that it was horrible. This was the first time that it was both.
> 
> -
> 
> Or, Suki takes the girls out in the town.

It was not going well.

Suki loved her husband and all, but she should have known better than to give in to his crazy plotting. Especially when a surprise was involved. He tended to go one of two routes: overboard or just enough that it was horrible. This was the first time that it was both.

What should have been a fun night was quickly turning into a disaster. She really should have insisted that they hire someone to decorate, or better yet, have Zuko ask his palace staff. Before she grabbed Katara by the shoulder and out the door, she had secretly checked on Zuko and his uncle. They were struggling with untangling ribbons, and that could not have been a good sign for the rest of the evening. But they did not have time. She and Katara had to meet the girls in the town in twenty minutes.

Suki insisted that they look their best. They put on the latest Fire Nation fashion, which, if Suki was being honest with herself, she was a fan of. She loved the exposed midriffs and the sleeveless tunics, the bright reds, and loose hair fall. It was right up her alley, and perfect for any girl who was also a fighter. There was just enough room to defend yourself and look good doing it. She wanted to implement the style with undercover missions, or even in training uniforms for the Kyoshi Warriors.

“So, we’re going out to dance?” asked Katara. She looked attractive with her hair half-up like that. Her blue eyes stood out under a light line of liner. It was simple and effective. Aang would stop in his tracks when he saw her next. Suki knew she had done her magic well.

“Exactly!” she smiled. “And it’s just the two of us girls.”

Well, it _was_ until Katara spotted Toph, Ty Lee, and Mai. She laughed and ran up to them, hugging each of them with various kinds of reactions. Toph punched her in the shoulder and Mai groaned. Ty Lee was as joyful and enthusiastic as usual. She squealed as they arrived and Suki kind of needed a moment to breathe after that.

“You think you could leave us out of a girls only girls’ night, Sugar Queen?” smirked Toph. She had grown over the years, but she was still the shortest of all of them. She had not put much effort into changing out of her Republic City attire other than removing her metal armor. “It’s time to kick the boys out and break some rules!”

Mai raised an eyebrow. Her hair was tied into two low buns. Her flame-shaped hairpiece was gone, and she was wearing dark crimson robes. This was probably with the hope that no one noticed her. No one needed to know that the Fire Lord’s wife was there. “Aren’t you an enforcer of the law, Toph?” she questioned.

“Not here!” Toph whooped. “Stop whining and let’s go!”

Toph ended up being the most excitable one in their group which a feat when Ty Lee was involved. Katara and Suki had gone straight to the dance floor, the bobbing lights of torches and candles bouncing on the walls and on their skin. Katara whirled a few times, showing them moves that Aang had taught her. Ty Lee joined their circle, adding flips whenever she deemed it necessary. Well, none of it was really necessary, but Suki would let it slide for the wide smile on her future sister-in-law’s face.

The music was catchy, a combination of blaring tsungi horns and twanging strings. A singer belted a tune about lovers finding each other at the end of the Hundred Year War and starting a life together.

When they decided their feet were aching enough, Suki led them back to the table where Mai lingered nearby, watching over their cups of water. She had a plate of finger foods placed in the center, a delicious medley of meat skewers and fried shrimps. Toph slammed cups of rice wine on the top. Suki did not try to guess how she had balanced all five of them in her arms on the way there.

“Got us some drinks!” she shouted over the trouncing thrum of five different drums. “Drink up, ladies!”

Mai was a little reluctant, and so was Katara, but Suki was able to convince them. “Unwind!” she laughed. “This is our night!”

Suki held hers up above the tabletop and waited for the others to clink their ceramic cups to hers. “To Katara and Aang’s engagement,” she chimed. “And may I say… _finally?”_

That even got a knowing smirk from Mai.

It was such a nice, sweet, warm, flavor. Suki almost forgot that Toph had gotten them more than just the cups they had. She had gotten an entire flagon of hot rice wine. The aroma was intoxicating, but she was determined to keep the distraction going.

That was until there was a rather bulky and bold man that sauntered up to them.

“What are you girls doing out on the town so alone?” he asked, words slurring on his tongue. He was covered in sweat and his bare chest was slick with it. “Wanna dance with good ol’ Ruon-Jian?”

Another man who was more muscular, but no less daring stood next to him. He had a scruffy beard that looked unkempt and a topknot that had seen better days. “And what about his pal, Chan?” he added. His breath was hot. It was not a good thing that Suki could feel his breath on her face. They were too close.

“Sorry guys,” Ty lee interjected in that sing-tong tone of hers, “but this table is full of taken ladies!” She sounded too happy for a person that was trying to ward off unwanted men. Suki found herself a little jealous that she could do that.

“Just trying to have a good time here,” continued Suki for her friends. “We’re keeping to ourselves, thanks.”

She was put off when Ruon-Jian cupped her cheek and seethed when Chan grabbed onto Katara’s waist right after he kissed Toph on the cheek with a slobbery one.

There were multiple things that happened all at once. Suki slapped the offender’s hand off her, Katara unsheathed a whole arsenal of ice daggers onto Chan who wailed as he was pinned to the opposite wall, Toph stomped a boulder from the ground with a disgusted look on her face, Ty Lee pressed all the right pressure points on Ruon-Jian, and Mai stretched out both her arms so that everyone could have a clear view of the knives in her sleeves.

The commotion continued when there were other men who had been Ruon-Jian and Chan’s friends that came to their aid. The bouncers did not bat an eye as Suki and the girls unleashed their fury on all of them.

She flipped a table on one who attempted another pass on her. Toph dropped a rock on someone’s foot. An ugly one with a mole the size of the Earth Kingdom went flying into a planter. The music never even stopped, and Suki was not sure if it was the rice wine speaking or if the conductor of the band really directed his players to emphasize every punch and dropkick with a drumbeat.

“Good riddance,” spat the bouncer, grinning to himself as Ruon-Jian, Chan, and friends sprinted out of the restaurant portion of the bar.

Suki and the others were happy to leave after that, opting to return to the Fire Lord’s beach home. She hoped that Sokka and Aang had a better night.

She opened the door, the group trailing behind her. The lights were off. She was suddenly on edge. Katara was fuming beside her. She had not had time to cool off. They were all wary, especially when they spotted an unknown shadow moving about. Toph opened her mouth to speak, but by then it was too late. Katara had tackled whoever it was to the ground.

The lights flickered on with a bout of firebending. Iroh stood with a shocked expression in the middle of the entrance hallway. Two-year-old Izumi hid behind him, her little nose peeking out and her expression fearful.

Strings of lopsided decorations only made the scene appear more absurd. None of the streamers seemed to stick to the banisters or the pillars, and the dining table would have been nicely set up if not for the misplaced confetti that hand landed on the fruit tart.

“Stop! Katara, stop!” screamed Zuko, cowering behind his hands. His informal robes were torn. “It’s me!”

The door opened again. Suki slapped her forehead when she saw a swaying Sokka and Aang appear. Sokka whispered something to Aang, who looked just as confused as he was.

“Uh…” started Mai, “Surprise engagement party. Yay?”

Suki spent the next few minutes pulling Katara off of Zuko with Ty Lee’s help. She had to convince her that he was not one of the offenders from the dance floor and that he was indeed just their idiot friend who did not know what decorating meant. She felt bad for Hakoda who had such a shocked look on his face that something inside him must have broken. He carried a wrapped present in his hands that looked like it was about to fall to the floor. She felt even worse when she realized that Sokka and Katara’s father had traveled all the way from the Southern Water Tribe to witness this.

It was charming, at least, when Aang and Katara were forcibly pushed together. He managed to make it look romantic when he twirled her into his chest. It was all an accident of course, but at least Katara was not assaulting anyone anymore.

He laughed when Katara blushed. “Well, I’m not drinking ever again,” he said.

“I’m not either,” replied Katara. “We beat up a few guys on our night out. You?”

It was his turn to turn an interesting shade of green. Suki did _not_ want to know.

“We uh…watched a play.”

“Sounds calm.”

“It really wasn’t.”

Well, at least her friends were happy, Suki thought. Though, she thought as she looked around and saw her husband hurl into an expensive-looking vase, she would make a note to keep surprise parties away from Ember Island from now on. She patted him on the back and decided that she would have to nurse him back from his hangover in the morning. Unfortunately, she might have one of her own.


End file.
